Tokyo Bay

Located at 35° 24' 59.99" N 139° 46' 59.99" E south of Kantō in Japan, Tokyo Bay spans through the coast of Tokyo, Kanagawa, and the Chiba Prefecture. It is also connected to the Pacific Ocean by the "Uraga" Channel, formerly known as "Edo Bay"  ^[8] .

Tokyo Bay is known to be both the most populated and largest industrialized area in Japan. Due to Tokyo’s resources in the areas of finance, R&D, and corporate headquarters, Japan has become one of the world’s leading centers for advanced manufacturing. This Urban Sea has six globally significant ports: Tokyo Port, Yokohama Port, Chiba Port, Kawasaki Port, Yokosuka Port, and Kisarazu Port  ^[9] . Yokohama Port is closest to the bay entrance and provides easy access for collecting freight from a wide range, including the Kanto and Tokai regions  ^[9] . Taking advantage of the area’s natural water depth, (berths of -18m), the primary use of this port is to serve as a receiving facility for large container ships  ^[9] .

This report will briefly cover Tokyo Bay's early history while prioritizing economic, environmental, political, and social themes and their effects on anthropogenic species and the organisms that occupy the space.

The settlement of Tokyo Bay started in 1603. By order of the ruling shogun at the time, the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to this new location facing Tokyo Bay  ^[24] . This was then called the new capital, Edo. Soon after, the city was renamed Tokyo after a revolution in 1868, and in the same century, the reclamation of the coastal areas of Tokyo Bay began  ^[24] . The population in Edo was increasingly accelerated after another revolution in the nineteenth century. The areas that were first reclaimed included estuaries of the Sumida and the Ara Rivers in Tokyo, which extended to Yokohama (a major port in the Tokyo Bay area)  ^[24] . Following WWII, liquefaction transpired over a large area that was reclaimed. A major turning point for not only the landscape surroung Yokuo Bay, but Japan as a country.

Much of the land surrounding Tokyo Bay has been reclaimed since the seventeenth century. Liquefaction has also been reduced during past earthquakes (1923 Kanto Earthquake/1987 Chibake-toho-oki Earthquake). The first ever recorded liquefaction was the Great East Japan Earthquake  ^[24] . This earthquake left houses, lifelines, and roads in dire conditions and the missing/seized individuals the number of deaths totaled ~19,300  ^[15] . Following this incident, groups of researchers began investigating the characteristic features of liquefaction, soil conditions, and liquefaction-induced damage to the structures of these sites  ^[24] . Since then, there have been methods implemented to prevent the effects of these hazardous natural disasters. These methods include SCP (sand compaction pile), GD (gravel drain), and dredging work  ^[24] .

Likely due to the many challenges Japan had to overcome resulting from the loss of land and loved ones, they have become one of the leading countries in earthquake protection  ^[12] . Some economical changes made are three important saying heard in Japan: Taishin, Seishin, and Menshin  ^[12]  Taishin, the first level of earthquake prevention, encompasses a building's minimum requirement of mandated beams and pillars to cope with shaking. Seishin, the 2nd level of earthquake prevention (typically for high-rise buildings), requires the use of dampers (thick layers of rubber placed below buildings) that absorb the energy created by earthquakes. Lastly, Menshin is the most advanced and costly earthquake preventative implemented. This method isolates the ground beneath the building, using layers of lead, steel, and rubber, allowing it to move independently of the earth below  ^[12] . Examples of this earthquake prevention are seen in the Tokyo Skytree (once the tallest building in the world), and the Shinjuku Mitsui Building  ^[12] . Socially, Japan has also made many changes. Every school, as early as pre-school, has been briefed on earthquake strategic plans.

The photo above shows children wearing a "Zukin". This is a method of protection from objects, like books and shelves, that may fall  ^[17] . Another prevention method is a bag called "Randoseru", which is a bag that every student wears to school up until intermediate school (pictured below)  ^[16] . Bags are made out of leather and can withstand heavy objects falling on top of it. The ways of transportation are also discussed for hazardous conditions every quarter, and parents and faculty gather often to discuss "what if" plans. The steps that Japan has made to prevent further damage are large but much-needed steps are neccesary for a better society.

There are four crucial themes that will be touched on, economic, environmental, political, and social. Economical themes will be discussed here first. Foreigners hear "Japan" and associate it with technology, safety, and being fast-paced - a leading country. But Japanese people see Japan, and specifically Tokyo, in a different light. To the citizens of Japan, Tokyo is seen as being the home of stressful and competitive workplaces, an unsafe place for women, and an area of having high suicide rates. To some, Tokyo may seem like a dream destination - to others, it is just a place of work. There is of course some truth to everything, the urban sea, Tokyo Bay, is a great place for growth. It is the largest industrialized area with a total of 6 ports and boasts the title of being the busiest import/export hub in all of Asia  ^[9] .

Following WWII, Tokyo Bay’s previous fishing and aquascape industries were taken over by shipping ports and heavy machinery. Each unique sector was split through six ports, each serving a different purpose: Yokohama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kawasaki, Yokosuku, and Kisarazu  ^[9] .

While having a combined annual traffic capacity of 400+ million tons of cargo  ^[9] , the economic growth gained from maximum productivity and efficiency hasn’t been achieved without a cost. In addition to increased pollution resulting from factory and ship emissions, the surrounding areas of Tokyo Bay were not developed with the proper infrastructure to manage the increased amount of sewage water that comes from the now 35% of Japan’s population that this area now houses  ^[6] . This lack of properly integrated drainage systems has ultimately resulted in poor water quality  ^[6] . Poor water quality is a similar trait amongst many other countries in Asia. Although Japan may seem like a leading society, due to faulty systems around Tokyo citizens still continue to suffer from the damages imposed upon a fast-paced society. Economic themes/traits seem to only appease higher-class level citizens, a common trait in many other advanced countries.

One of the topics not often covered is the pre-urbanization of the urban sea, Tokyo Bay. While Japan is currently known for being one of the global leaders in technology, what was it like for citizens, landscapes, and animals residing in the area before urbanization?

Tokyo Bay is classified as a “drowned river valley estuary”  ^[23] . This formation occurs when rising sea levels flood existing river valleys  ^[23] . During its pre-industrialized era, locals took advantage of the easily accessible shallow waters, and fishing operations, primarily conducted onshore, included seaweed farming and catching shellfish (Asari). Offshore, the main catches were sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus), black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii), and mullet (Mugilidae). These were caught using trawl fishing and rolling net techniques  ^[23] .

As urbanization and further development of reclamation projects increased, the fishing industry was, to no surprise, affected inversely  ^[23] . With the increase of refuse being dumped into the sea by newly constructed factories, the number of private fishing households steadily decreased  ^[23] . Today, the health of the sea has been severely compromised through continued reclamation and development, but Tokyo Bay, though on the brink of death, has shown resilience. Many urban seas continue to suffer through rapid industrialization and it is important to set laws down to protect these habitats for not only the humans occupying the area, but also the aquatic species that coexist.

Tokyo bay offers significance both nationally and internationally on a wide scale. Nationally, they offer resources that include food, residence, and industrialization. The metropolitan zone in the Tokyo Bay area consists of Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures (13,562 square kilometers)  ^[11] . During the 1960s, the Shinkansen (high-speed train) was introduced. This feat of transportation led to an influx of people moving/visiting from all across Japan to the Tokyo Bay area. This further boosted the growth of the economy nationally  ^[11] . Internationally, they offer the exportation/importation of goods  ^[9] , a better understanding of fast-paced societies, and an ample amount of resources to be shared. Tokyo is also known for having one of the few international airports. Narita International Airport provides layovers for many airlines, and Tokyo Bay serves as an area of transit for ships' routes for exportation/importation  ^[9] . They also offer knowledge to many other countries with their earthquake prevention architecture as mentioned before  ^[12] .

In 1853, American Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay to re-establish, for the first time in 200 years, trade and accord with Japan and the Western world  ^[21] . With the combination of Chinese ports being opened and California being annexed, America sought to create an alliance with Japan to support water travel to and from North America and Asia. Since then, Japan has been serving as a layover hub (similar to the modern Narita Airport) for resupplying, refueling, and resting  ^[9] . Additionally, the Americans wanted to take advantage of Japan’s prime location to serve as safe harbor support for their whaling industry needs  ^[21] . This is not to say that America was the only country to benefit from this new alliance. Japan’s opening to the western world allowed it to modernize its military and advance its technological capabilities. As urban seas continue to be increasingly utilized, just like anything else, things can be changed forever. This is seen in our everyday lives. Anthropogenic activities have caused the warming of the globe, the extinction of many species, and habitat loss. Tokyo Bay's functions have led to its fish populations dropping immensely. This in turn can end up affecting things at the trophic level. Power-hungry politics also always want more resources to gain power. Things are never as black and white as they seem.

Social and economic factors intertwine with one another. Resources (food, water, land) are needed to survive but continued, unregulated consumption of any will end in depletion. Since the boom in Japan, economically there have been several issues socially. These include, but are not limited to, population growth, increased use of fossil fuel emissions, waste management, overfishing, and many more  ^[10] . These countless issues are complex to solve as they are tied into one another. Although spread amongst several countries, whale killings in Japan serve as one example  ^{[14, 22]} . Whales are hunted for their oil-rich blubber and meat, which many consider toxic  ^{[14, 22]} . Despite the rapid fall in whale populations and countless laws in place to protect these species, Japan's reasonings for these actions are simple, resources.

Photo to the left was an image that surfaced several years back when whale hunting in Japan had been sighted  ^[14] . Countries will go to heights to gain power, even if that means depleting all sources.

Tokyo Bay is most definitely an international urban sea. Offering international importation/exportation, tourism, water/air travel, and more  ^[9] . Tokyo Bay serves not only its locals but the rest of the world as well. However, before establishing ties with North America, Japan was quite hostile toward foreigners. Many early travelers who shipwrecked on Japan’s shores shared stories of mistreatment and neglect. WWII was the aftermath due to the bombing Japan had done to Hawai'i. The bombing of Pearl Harbor left many injured and dead  ^[1] . Although the outcome of WWII was detrimental, leaving nuclear radiation years after  ^[1] . Now, Japan maintains stable relationships with every United Nations member state. Written in the Japanese constitution, states no participation in war by Japan and no use of military force.

As with the rest of the globe, the health of Tokyo Bay has been severely compromised through continued reclamation, development, and pollution. As the climate continues to warm, what was once a local concern will eventually spread worldwide. Overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, etc., are all issues that started somewhere locally, but now have become a universal problem. Overfishing will affect higher trophic level predators, pollution will produce less circulating waters (least upwelling/small circulatory systems), ocean acidification will affect crustacean groups, and sea-level rise will affect residents living in lower areas of land. These factors will affect everyone inhabiting the earth.

Tokyo Bay offers habitats, transportation, and resources  ^[9] . Tokyo Bay is used not only for anthropogenic activities but also for aquatic species inhabiting in the area. The use of each differs but the benefits offered by the sea are the same: a gain in resources. All four themes play a role in affecting the health of this urban sea: economic, environmental, political, and social. It's hard to say which is playing the biggest role in affecting the climate of the sea but anthropogenic activities are seen to have the biggest change in the well-being of the sea. It could be overfishing, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, and many more. It also would not be fair to blame all of these issues on the population residing in the Tokyo Bay area.

For example, one person driving every day to work compared to a factory producing 5x of carbon emissions every day is not comparable. The degree of magnitude is just not reasonable to juxtapose. There have already been several laws set into motion to prevent further loss of diversity in the sea and further pollution issues. The Japanese Government established the BEP (Basic Environment plan) on December 16th, 1994. The BEP outlines long-term policies for environmental conservation. To follow, PCL (Public Cleansing Law) was enforced to ensure hygienic standards. Recycling is also required by law in Japan with every household having 3 trash cans to separate its garbage. However, not enough is being done because the effects of anthropogenic activities continue to worsen. Stronger enforcement of laws regulating fishing, and reduction of waste needs to be put into motion with the science and research supporting the reasoning. These issues are already seen globally. Overfishing is depleting populations everywhere, sea ice is melting at a speed 2x compared to before  ^[13] , and pollution is causing sites of water with low circulation to be affected. This is never just a local issue. It is always a global one. If we do not work as one, there will be no resources for anyone, even high-class folk that think they are far away from this issue.

RCP (Representative Concentration Pathway)  ^{[2, 5]}  shows 4 routes humans can go. RCP 2.6 shows the best-case scenario, RCP 4.5 shows emissions peaking mid-century, RCP 6 shows emissions doubling by 2060, and RCP 8.5 shows the worst case scenario, or continuing business as usual. These are just models but it is very much possible to reach an RCP 8.5 situation. This is why it's crucial to take preventative methods not later, but now. RCP 8.5 is possible just as much as RCP 2.6. I hope the one thing that can be taken away as an audience is that change is achievable and humans are very much capable of cooperation for the better of our world.